Dauntless Bound
by Selyse Newman
Summary: She is Erudite but could have been Dauntless, now she's getting a chance to change her future and have it all. Who will she meet along the way and will it change her life more than she ever could have imagined? Love can be found in surprising places and people. AU.


It's not every day that you get to decide your own fate. But here I was, ready to do just that. Some people think that all things happen for a reason. I'm not sure I subscribe to that particular belief but somehow no matter what choices you make you still carry on and live your life the best way you can. I had been doing that for a long time, my whole life as a matter of fact. I had grown up with a decent childhood. Growing up in Erudite was at least interesting and time consuming. I engrossed myself in books and learning my entire life as a matter of my own curiosity, not my upbringing. I was already a nurse on my way to becoming a physician, even at 18.

My parents were as good to me as they could be; they valued knowledge above all else, including emotion and passion. They weren't very strict as long as all of my time was spent pursuing knowledge, which it was. I excelled in my studies and did everything I was supposed to do except find someone like me who not only loved knowledge and learning, but art. Most erudite pay no attention to art thinking it is a factless pursuit. I, however, always loved art and found myself looking at the murals and drawings on the buildings where the factionless milled about during the day. Color and composition infatuated me. My friend was artistically inclined, whereas I was not. He discovered that he could use inks and needles to do tattoos. Nothing like the Dauntless tattoos, but more spectacular I thought due to their color and variances. Throughout my years I had many tattoos placed with flourishing color and various themes and styles. I hid all of these underneath my clothes and no one found them except my mother when she walked in on me showering one day. She was furious and demanded to know why I had done such a thing to my body. I calmly explained I needed to know how it felt and also to express myself. She didn't understand. At that point I was asked not to live with them any longer. I felt so betrayed and never realized how much I really did love my parents. It was only 8 months until the choosing ceremony, so I moved in with an aunt and waited. I considered long and hard what I was going to do at the ceremony, how I would decide where I should go. I desperately wanted to be a doctor, but I always wanted to be true to myself and be happy. Ultimately after much decision making I decided I could either be in Erudite or Dauntless and I would let the test decide. I was so nervous that day, I went in and when I got my results, they were both Erudite and Dauntless. I was floored, what was I supposed to do? Where was I supposed to go? I didn't make my decision until standing in front of the bowls with blood welling up from the cut on my hand…finally the drop landed in water. I closed my eyes, I had chosen Erudite.

I continued my studies and advanced up the ranks, I was now an Erudite physician with all the respect and compensation it demands. My parents tried to contact me when I was done with my studies, I decided that if they could throw me away so easily for something as innocent as a tattoo then I would have to take time to consider talking to them again. A year later, I still haven't spoken to them at all. I was currently working with Dr. Jeremiah Housted at the main erudite hospital doing basic care and some research into serums and other things I can't even talk about. Dr. Housted asked me to a meeting with Janine Matthews, and she began to make me an offer I couldn't refuse and would probably change my life forever.

Despite my current standing, most people outside of erudite didn't know me, even people in erudite didn't know me. I kept to myself and all of my accomplishments were mostly mine alone. The assignment was this, be willing to go in as a dauntless initiate with a new identity to be able to help their faction medically. The only way you could be let in was to be one of them. I knew they needed medical help and I secretly wanted to be in Dauntless and start my life over. So, I agreed and said goodbye to my old life, my old apartment, my old nothing. I changed into new clothes that I would have worn when I was younger and I left to jump a train to dauntless compound.


End file.
